"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American animated series Family Guy. The episode was intended to air on Fox in 2000, but Fox's executives expressed concern due to the content's potential to be interpreted as anti-Semitic, and did not allow it to air on television that year.[1] The episode originally aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on November 9, 2003, and on Fox on December 10, 2004.[1] In the episode, Peter prays for a Jew to help him with his financial woes. After befriending Jewish accountant Max Weinstein and discovering the wonders of their religion, Peter gets the idea of converting Chris to Judaism so he will be successful in life. Lois attempts to stop him, believing that success is not based on religion.
Peter gives Lois's "rainy-day fund" to Jim Kaplan, a scam artist selling volcanoinsurance. That night, Stewie breaks Meg's glasses because he hates being watched while he sleeps. Lois tells Peter that he needs to recover the money to buy their daughter a new pair of glasses. After hearing Quagmire and Cleveland talk about how men with Jewish-sounding names have helped them achieve financial success, Peter decides that he needs a Jew to handle his money in an elaborate musical number.
When a Jewish man named Max Weinstein (/ˈwaɪnstiːn/) has car trouble outside the Griffin house, Peter takes it as a sign. After a foot chase, Peter pressures Max into helping him get the emergency money back, and he recovers the money from Kaplan. After inviting Max to dinner and accompanying him to a Reformsynagogue, Peter comes to the conclusion that Chris would become smart and successful if he converted to Judaism. The two sneakily drive to Las Vegas for a quickie Bar Mitzvah.
Lois learns of the Bar Mitzvah from Brian (by means of torturing him with a dog whistle), and borrows Quagmire's car. She arrives just in time to stop the ceremony, but the congregants, angry that Lois is apparently insulting their religion, attack the Griffins. The family escapes just in time, locking the synagogue's door using a large star of David and getting back home on a bus. Lois points out that one's success is not based upon religion, and Peter realizes the error of his ways and makes up to the family. However, as it turns out, the bus is full of nuns who, displeased that Peter strayed from Catholicism, attack the family with rulers.
Cultural references
Peter's song, "I Need a Jew", is a parody of "When You Wish Upon a Star". The scene where Lois tries to stop the Bar Mitzvah is a parody of the ending of The Graduate.[2]
Though the episode was aired during the third season, it was produced in 2000 and is a holdover from the second season production. Fox network executives were concerned that the episode could be construed as anti Semitic, and decided not to air the episode after it had completed post production.[3] It aired on Cartoon Network's programming block Adult Swim in 2003, and then it aired on Fox in 2004.[3]
On the DVD commentary for the episode, Seth MacFarlane mentions that he showed the script of the episode to two rabbis, both of whom approved the episode "because Peter learns the right lesson at the end". MacFarlane also points out that 70% of the show's writers are Jewish, including Ricky Blitt, who wrote the episode,[4] as is Ben Stein, who plays the Rabbi.
Reception and lawsuit
Lisa Keys of The Forward wrote that the episode is "not necessarily demeaning to Jews" but "too vapid to be funny".[5]
^Bourne Co., vs. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox Broadcasting Company, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc., Fuzzy Door Productions, Inc., The Cartoon Network, Inc., Seth MacFarlane, Walter Murphy, Text. "Defendants' infringing activities have cause and will continue to cause Bourne great and irreparable harm. By associating Bourne's song with such offensive lyrics and other content in the episode, Defendants are harming the value of the song."
